Master of Orion

by: SimTex, Inc.

Publication date: 1993

Also For
Macintosh
Developed by
SimTex, Inc.
Published by
MicroProse Software, Inc.
Released
Sep, 1993

Genre
Strategy/Tactics
Pacing
Turn-based
Setting
Sci-Fi / Futuristic
Gameplay
4X, Managerial / Business Simulation, Turn-based strategy

Description

Master of Orion overlaps with Civilization insofar as you are the leader of one of several races. Technological advance, realm expansion and combat are all key elements. Where it differs is in being set in space.

The planet Orion itself is a lush, fertile planet with vast mineral resources. It is guarded by the Guardian - a powerful vessel which you have to defeat in order to plunder Orion's riches.

As you attempt to expand your empire, you will have to trade and steal technologies form rivals, again much like Civ. Your ships can be improved over the game, in terms of engine power, shields, cloaking devices and weapons, and different combinations of these can be integrated. Resource management is largely set using sliders, which reduces the amount of time spent on micro-management.

From Mobygames.com. Original Entry

Access-restricted-item: true

Addeddate: 2014-12-26 08:19:33

Emulator: dosbox

Emulator_ext: zip

Emulator_start: mastori/ORION.EXE

Identifier: msdos_Master_of_Orion_1993

Mobygames: http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/master-of-orion

Mobygames_also_for: Macintosh

Mobygames_developed_by: SimTex, Inc.

Mobygames_gameplay: 4X, Managerial / Business Simulation, Turn-based strategy

Mobygames_genre: Strategy/Tactics

Mobygames_pacing: Turn-based

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Reviews

Reviewer: Stegeman - - May 12, 2023
Subject: 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗻 | 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱

I have very fond memories of watching my dad play this game back in the '90s on the old floppy disc computer while I was growing up. I remember creating my own save file as a young kid back then, but I had no idea what I was doing or how complex this game was for its time. I'm thrilled to have found this game here on Internet Archive and to see that the online emulator works (as of 5/12/23). It's been a nostalgic rush to go back as an adult and play a game I know my dad (who is now deceased) loved.

Note: While playing the game a copy protection protocol will occasionally appear where the player will be asked to identify a ship's name using a provided ship image with corresponding page numbers from the original game manual. You can find a ship identification guide here: https://archive.org/details/master_of_orion_ship_identification_guide.

Reviewer: Jason Gracey654 - - June 8, 2022
Subject: Nice bit of nostalgia

Saving has been working fine for me.

Reviewer: rcashman - - February 13, 2020
Subject: Still can't save or continue a game

It has been this way for more than a month now. I had been playing this game for years on this site but I can't now. There is no way to finish a game in one sitting so without the ability to continue games it is unplayable. That is very sad as this has always been my very favorite game....

Reviewer: Guynoire - - January 25, 2020
Subject: Game save not working

The data is now downloading but it will no longer save games between sessions. Is the site no longer saving cookies?

Reviewer: viking1983 - - January 16, 2020
Subject: Love this game but now getting this error message

"Failed to download game data". I have been playing this game for years but now I get this message.

Reviewer: Kriv380 - - February 12, 2019
Subject: Note on anti-piracy thingie

I found out that if you dont do the ship selector thingie correctly it will eventually freeze up the controls, it did this when i had defeated the guardian and started building an advanced fleet.

Reviewer: mracek - - August 17, 2016
Subject: for AichP

Browser must save game to disk, tmp cache of browser. Than you can save position on your disk too. Look on cache, find file of random letter name with size about 5.3MB (as package for dosbox). This is ZIP file. Rename, unpack. Download dosbot emulator. You can play without browser.

Game have this problems
- races start near other races
- on begin, lot of races have non-agresion pact and can fly long range colony ship (automatic with you, but you not have)
- on hard level+ is better race klackon than other
- Ameoba create Radiated, not can remove name, but work as terain after atmosphere teraform
- Advanced space scener + Hyperspace comunication, you can send transport fist to your colony, then you can change to fly to unknown system :) Good, if, you have Sacras + advanced cloning.

Better is Masters of Orion 2

Reviewer: AichP - - May 30, 2016
Subject: Very Cool Game

Would love to save the Progress somewhere to Play it from different machines.

Reviewer: jimmitchell98292 - - November 6, 2015
Subject: MOO

Great game. Haven't been able to play this DOS game for many years. Thanks to this site for bring back one of best games ever created.

Reviewer: Mystborne - - June 2, 2015
Subject: Identifying Ships

Just click on any picture of ship you wish. No need to get the correct one.

Love this game! I was addicted to it in 1993 and now I am again 22 years later. Annoying anti-piracy gimmick of identifying the ships aside, this was bar none the best game of its era and it launched an entire genre of games.

I am so happy to see internet archive with it!

Reviewer: vlado1983 - - January 28, 2015
Subject: MO1

Great old game.

here is little help with ship identification.

http://harqueb.us/?page_id=938

Reviewer: Alpha_God - - January 17, 2015
Subject: Master of Orion

You are the leader of one of several races set in space.
Technological advance, realm expansion and combat are all key elements. Guarded by the Guardian - a powerful vessel which you have to defeat : The planet Orion itself is a lush, fertile planet with vast mineral resources.
You will have to trade and steal technologies form rivals as you attempt to expand your empire.
Ships can be improved with engine power, shields, cloaking devices and weapons, and different combinations of these can be integrated.

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